They may not be monopolies by definition but they act like one when there is only a single viable option. In Chicago I have access to Comcast Cable (city franchise cable provider in this area), AT&T Uverse (no fiber to the home so its DSL), or some wireless options (line of sight is tough, and non-LOS is not very fast). If I want always on > 50 mbps service it is pretty much Comcast. If you don't like the reliability or customer service, too bad. At my summer home in Wisconsin we have access to CenturyLink (the protected RLEC) or satellite. That's it. Steven Naslund Chicago IL
-----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Mike Hammett Sent: Monday, December 18, 2017 11:05 AM Cc: nanog@nanog.org Subject: Re: Free access to measurement network
BTW: There are no government-enforced monopolies anywhere in the US, aside from possibly Native American reservations.
----- Mike Hammett Intelligent Computing Solutions
Midwest Internet Exchange
The Brothers WISP